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Legendary Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan died in his home in Manhattan on Christmas day. He was 84 years old. Throughout his career, Greenspan focused his work on the inspirational nature of the Olympic games. He was best known for emotional segments about athletes overcoming almost insurmountable obstacles in their quest for an Olympic medal. “I’ve been criticized for having rose-colored glasses,” Greenspan told TheNew York Times in 1996. “I say if that’s true, what’s so bad? I’m not good at hurting people.”

One of the highlights of Greespan’s work was “16 Days of Glory” about the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Greenspan tended to avoid controversy in his films. He ignored the Ben Johnson doping scandal in the 1988 Olympics as well as the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics by rival Tonya Harding.

“I’m the lone survivor of idealism,” he once said. “I might be from another century.”